Three years after leaving the Gophers football team, former Minneapolis Washburn standout Jeff Jones is attempting a comeback, this time at Waldorf University in Forest City, Iowa.
Jones, 23, signed his national letter of intent Wednesday, and Waldorf's football team announced the news on Twitter. The team plays at the NAIA level.
Jones was one of the highest-rated recruits in Gophers history when he signed with them after earning MVP honors at the Under Armour All-American Game in 2014.
He was academically ineligible that fall and wound up playing in just three games for Minnesota, all in 2015, before transferring to Iowa Western Community College. In May 2016, Jones was charged with felony drug possession after being pulled over in Bloomington with a firearm in the vehicle.
On Wednesday, Jones posted the Waldorf announcement on Twitter, adding, "Prayed for an opportunity and he delivered forever grateful."
![Washburn High School running back Jeff Jones announces his intention to play football at the University of Minnesota by putting a Gophers hat on his head. Alongside Jeff are his grandparents Doris Jones (left), and Willie Jones. Jones made the announcement in front of a full gym at Washburn High School on Wednesday, February 5, 2014. ] SHARI L. GROSS • sgross@startribune.com ORG XMIT: MIN1402051402271677](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/4CZFUXDCKAJFKKYRLFMOQ5ASH4.jpg?&w=1080)
